Apple Cider Doughnut Mini Muffins

People will think these are traditional cider doughnut holes, but they never actually see a fryer, instead getting a quick bath in melted butter and a toss in cinnamon sugar while still warm from the oven. They're super cute, super delicious, and even better, super easy and super fast.

Special equipment: mini muffin pans, nonstick spray, whisk, spatula, mixing bowls

Ingredients

serves Makes 36 mini muffins, active time 10 minutes, total time 20 minutes

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
• 1 cup apple cider
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 7 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled, divided
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

Procedures

1. Set rack in center of oven, preheat to 400°F. Liberally spray mini muffin pans with nonstick spray, set aside. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg. Add brown sugar and work into mixture by hand to break up clumps. Set aside. In a second bowl, whisk together cider, egg, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons melted butter. Add wet to dry ingredients and quickly but gently fold together until all streaks of flour are just incorporated and you have a light, fluffy batter. Divide evenly between cups of muffin pans (about 2/3 full) and bake for 8-10 minutes, turning once.
   
2. While muffins are baking, whisk together remaining cinnamon and granulated sugar. As soon as muffins are done, immediately turn out onto a rack and roll them a few at a time in the melted butter, then remove to cinnamon sugar and shake until well-coated. Let muffins continue to cool on rack. You may reheat to serve, with the oven at 400°F— it will only take 1 or 2 minutes.

Earl Grey Lemon Muffins

These muffins are infused with a mix of Earl Grey tea and lemon.

Note: To get the best results, use quality Earl Grey tea with a pronounced bergamot flavor. I find that loose leaf tea yields better results than bagged. The other trick is to make sure that your milk stays hot enough to really let the tea steep.

Special equipment: 12 cup muffin tin, mixing bowl, whisk

Ingredients

serves makes 12 muffins, active time 10 minutes, total time 1 hour 10 minutes

• 3 tablespoons fresh, loose leaf Earl Grey Tea or 3 tea bags (see note)
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest, from about 1 medium lemon
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 4 tables unsalted butter, melted

Procedures

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Grease muffin cups with butter. Heat milk in a saucepan over medium low heat until hot but not bubbling. Add tea or tea bags, cover, and let steep for 20 minutes. Check halfway through to see if milk is still warm, if it's gotten cold, gently warm again over low heat.
   
2. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, nutmeg, and lemon zest.
   
3. If using loose leaf tea, strain milk; if using tea bags, discard. Add butter, milk, and egg to dry ingredients, mixing with the whisk just until combined.
   
4. Fill each muffin cup 3/4 full with batter then bake for 20 minutes or until golden on top and a cake tester inserted into the middle of a muffin comes out clean. Let cool 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling. Serve with thick cut marmalade for extra citrus flavor.

Blueberry Lemon Muffins

Ingredients

serves makes 12 muffins, active time 20 minutes, total time 60 minutes

• 2 cups (10 ounces) all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick/3 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup (7 ounces) sugar, plus 1 tablespoon for sprinkling
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup (4 ounces) crème fraîche
• 2 tablespoons grated Meyer lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice
• 2 cups (8 ounces) blueberries, rinsed and dried

Procedures

1. Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 350°F. Coat the cups of a muffin tin with nonstick baking spray or brush generously with melted butter.
   
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl.
   
3. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or in a large bowl, using a handheld mixer), cream the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
   
4. Mix the egg, crème fraîche, lemon zest, and juice together in a small bowl with a fork or small whisk. Add to the creamed butter and mix until fully combined, about 2 minutes; the batter will appear a little lumpy. Add the dry ingredients in two batches, mixing well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and the paddle attachment. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the blueberries to avoid crushing them.
   
5. Using an ice cream scoop or a large spoon, scoop about 1/3 cup batter into each muffin cup. Pick up the muffin tin and knock it firmly against the work surface a couple of times to level the batter and release any air pockets. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with 1/4 teaspoon sugar.
   
6. Bake for 13 minutes, then rotate the muffin tin and bake for an additional 13 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins in the pan on a cooling rack for 15 to 20 minutes before removing them.
   
7. Storing: The muffins can be stored for up to 2 days in an airtight container or frozen for up to 2 months in Ziploc freezer bags.

Pineapple Coconut Muffins

Special equipment

muffin pan

Ingredients

serves makes 12 muffins, active time 15 minutes, total time 40 minutes

• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, very soft
• 1 cup (7 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut milk
• 1 1/4 cups sweetened, flaked coconut, divided
• 1 1/4 cups (6 1/4 ounces) all purpose flour
• 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup (6 ounces) drained pineapple cubes, chopped

Procedures

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Line 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Stir butter with sugar and salt in a large bowl until creamy. Whisk in eggs, one by one, until combined. Whisk in coconut milk and 3/4 cup coconut.
   
2. Add flour and baking powder to the bowl and whisk until combined. Whisk in pineapple cubes. Divide batter between muffin cups and sprinkle the tops with the remaining coconut. Bake until golden and just set, about 20 minutes. Let muffins cool in the pan 5 minutes, then transfer to wire rack to cool.